This paper describes a system of built-in, or internal, evaluation used within the Botswana National Literacy Program (NLP). Launched in 1981 and targeted toward illiterate adults and youth aged 10 years and older, the program aims at eradicating illiteracy in Botswana by 1986. The built-in evaluation was implemented in 1983, using program…

A description is given of a teaching project designed to provide teachers with avenues for professional growth and renewal and to encourage experienced teachers to remain in the classroom. This teacher-initiated and directed program incorporates three major components: (1) Collaboration between a college and a public school strenthens the…

As a collaborative process, action research begins when educational researchers, university faculty, and teachers assist each other in developing the skills to identify and conceptualize problems. The fundamental principle of collaborative research is that the research process is based on a system of discussion, investigation, and analysis in…

This book presents a fresh view of action research as a methodology uniquely suited to researching the processes of innovation and change. Drawing on twenty-five years' experience of leading or facilitating action research projects, Bridget Somekh argues that action research can be a powerful systematic intervention, which goes beyond describing,…

There is little reason why educational research in Australia should be progressive and highly developed, given that its history and direction are subject to the economic and political determinants of an increasingly globalized and uncertain world. Educational research cannot be a neutral endeavor; it demands that researchers identify a political…

An action research project integrated violence intervention and prevention into a child development curriculum through a parenting unit fostering confirmatory methods of struggle management between high school and preschool students. Subjects were 45 second- and third-year child development students, 75 first-year child development students, and…

An action research project was designed to enhance the creativity and thinking skills of students in a studio art class at the secondary level. The project was conducted between September and December 2002 at a Catholic high school near an urban center. Data were collected using observations, surveys, and document analysis. The targeted population…

Twelve older Aboriginal women in a Canadian city were trained to be co-researchers as part of a participatory health assessment and health promotion project involving 40 such women. Lessons were learned about project ownership, Native perceptions of research, use of traditions, participants' capacity to engage in research and analysis, conflict…

Describes a project to improve the education of learning disabled and at-risk ninth graders included in challenging courses by the school district. Regular and special educators used collaborative consultation (analysis of teaching styles and learner needs and creation of responsive strategies) to share responsibility and bring their various…

Describes a professional development school (PDS) relationship between Teachers College, Columbia University, and a New York City high school serving diverse students, highlighting action research projects conducted by teaching interns at the high school who were also master's students in secondary education programs at Teachers College. The paper…

This qualitative study examined the job satisfaction of early childhood teachers in Hong Kong: one group of kindergarten teachers and their principal experiencing a top-down curriculum implementation, and a second group of student teachers implementing a bottom-up kindergarten art curriculum. Findings revealed the need for pedagogical skills and…

Describes what the Tellin' Stories Project (TSP) Action Research Team discovered about meaningful family involvement during a 3-year study of teachers', students', and parents' stories of meaningful family roles. The TSP uses the power of story to engage parents, primarily from diverse low-income backgrounds, as purposeful partners in education.…

A severe drought precipitated systematic documentation of farmers' field trials in the farmer-to-farmer extension service in Bolivia. Successful agricultural experiments and seminars on agronomic practices and on data recording and analysis increased farmer self-confidence; developed awareness of literacy and numeracy educational needs; and…

Examines the complexities of doing collaborative action research by presenting examples of research efforts on a continuum. Describes the progress from university domination of research to practitioner-directed action research conducted by teachers. Includes a figure illustrating a continuum of approaches to collaborative research. (CFR)

Describes parent-teacher action research, a format for developing stronger parent participation and parent-teacher collaboration. Relates an actual example of action research to improve parent participation in student reading. Discusses the possible benefits of initiating action research, and details 10 steps involved in this type of action. (JB)